The final day of the Dolomitencup in Neumarkt, South Tyrol, kicked off on Sunday afternoon with the third-place play-off. The third-place play-off turned into a goal-scoring feast for Eisbären Berlin, who secured the bronze medal thanks to their 7–0 victory over the Augsburger Panther. The grand final gets underway at 8 pm.
Yes, that’s the Dolomitencup for you. On Sunday afternoon, not a single second of play had yet taken place at the smart Würtharena in Neumarkt, South Tyrol, yet a collective sense of excitement was already spreading through the stands. Hardly surprising, given these fans! The 200 Eisbären Berlin supporters and the 400 Augsburger Panther fans outdid one another with their rousing displays, transforming the once again sold-out stadium into a cauldron of excitement.
The fact that, over the next two hours, the vocal cords of many an Eisbären fan – in particular – were pushed to their limits was down solely to the Berlin stars on the ice. Spurred on by the fantastic goalkeeper Jonas Neffin and the two-goal scorers Liam Kirk and Leo Pföderl, the DEL’s record champions won the German ‘derby’ against the Panthers 7–0. Bronze therefore goes to Berlin, whilst Augsburg, the record winners of the Dolomitencup, have to settle for fourth and last place.
Berlin’s 100 per cent men
In the first period, the 978 fans at the Würtharena witnessed a thrilling back-and-forth battle in which Augsburg were actually holding their own. Yet the Panthers were caught completely off guard by Berlin’s ruthlessness. Three good chances, three goals – what Berlin celebrated was pure efficiency. Liam Kirk, Berlin’s top scorer in last season’s championship-winning campaign, opened the scoring on the power play from the slot (11th minute); Ty Ronning scored shortly afterwards with a well-placed shot from behind the net (16th minute); and then Leo Pföderl also converted the Eisbären’s second power play into a goal (17th minute).
In fact, Berlin’s special teams were impressive all afternoon: in the second period, Kirk scored the third goal from the third power play (39th minute), meaning Berlin’s conversion rate stood at 100 per cent – just as it did in penalty killing (3/3). In the final period, the Eisbären added to their tally: Tobias Krestan, following a tiki-taka move in front of the Augsburg goal (46th minute), Eric Hördler in a scramble (52nd minute) and Pföderl from a rebound (55th minute) sealed a 7–0 rout.
Now it’s time for the grand finale
So the first part of the final day is over, and now the eagerly awaited grand finale is about to begin. From 8 pm, two absolute heavyweights will battle it out for the Dolomitencup: the top Swiss club EV Zug, led by star goalkeeper Leonardo Genoni, will face Kometa Brno, one of the biggest names in Czech ice hockey.
Eisbären Berlin – Augsburger Panther 7:0
Eisbären Berlin: Neffin (Lafontaine); Smith-Reinke, Müller-Wissmann, Mik-Has, Kretzschmar; Hördler-Eder-Pföderl, Kirk-Fontaine-Ronning, Veilleux-Vikingstad-Krestan, Saffran-Wiederer-Griva
Coach: Eric Dubois
Augsburger Panther: Peyton (Ancicka); Hoefenmayer-Wood, Mayhew-McCrea, Glötzl-Pilu, Pellizzari-Hanke; Toporowski-Lambert-Busdeker, Blank-Wohlgemuth-Wright, Krauß-Henriquez Morales-Parkes, Zwickl-Scheel-Elias
Coach: Bill Peters
Goals: 1:0 Liam Kirk (10.48), 2:0 Ty Ronning (15.49), 3:0 Leo Pföderl (16.33), 4:0 Liam Kirk (38.13), 5:0 Tobias Krestan (45.25), 6:0 Eric Hördler (51.00), 7:0 Leo Pföderl (54.42)
MVP: Leo Pföderl (Berlin),Moritz Elias (Augsburg)
Referees: Benvengnù, Moschen
Attendance: 978 (ausverkauft)
Photo: Max Pattis
